With the rainout and cancellation of what was to be the final Hall of Fame Game in nearby Cooperstown, the ‘center of the baseball universe’ (in quotes for a reason I’ll explain in a bit), a fine tradition has come to an end…and baseball fans will again lament change to their game. Perhaps no other sports fans are as respectful, protective, and adamant about keeping the traditional elements of their game alive.
Let’s face it, baseball fans have had to endure quite a bit of tradition-bending events of late: The switch to the East/Central/West division model and modifications to the playoff system that mirror the agruably more popular NFL post season…the breaking of the cardinal rule that the AL and NL would NEVER meet in anything but the World Series with the advent of interleague play…and while the debate about whether or not this is good still flares on occasion, for the most part, fans have accepted it for what it is.
However, I don’t think baseball fans should stand for the Hall Of Fame Game being wiped clean from the MLB schedule. It’s not only a blow to diehard baseball fans, but a blow the area’s economy. But, even more than that, the biggest reason I can think of for fans to be upset is summed up in one word:
ACCESIBILITY.
Think about this…one of the reasons NASCAR skyrocketed in popularity in the early 90’s was how accesible the drivers (read ‘athletes’) were to the fans. The intimate setting of Doubleday Field in Cooperstown gave fans that same type of access, and I think in some small way represented the fact that the sport was still about the fans who watched and cheered their favorites on, and not about merchandising, stadium deals, and obscenely paid athletes who can’t be bothered to acknowledge the people who pay for grossly overpriced nosebleed level seats and miniature beers and hot dogs…all of which are paying their obscene salaries.
Shame on Major League Baseball for effectively ‘raising a leg’ on fans who’ve already had to endure the unthinkable…missing the World Series because the players went on strike…by eliminating a traditional element of the game’s history that should have continued for decades to come…a tradition that brought a pro sport back down to the fans who enjoyed it…
In fact, I’d like to hear some players weigh in on their dislike of the game being eliminated…y’know, there’s some that play that still recognize that tradition, and more importantly, RESPECT it.
Oh, wait…the player’s union might have something to say about that…(sigh)…
Later!
Paul The Small Guy